Friday the 13th Part 2 (US - DVD R1)

Part 2 picks up 5 years later since the last bloody rampage at Camp Crystal Lake, aka Camp Blood. The film opens with the survivor...

No he didn't die, the mysterious figure is back and is causing just as much mayhem as before in this, the first sequel to the original Friday the 13th slasher movie.

MovieFriday the 13th – Part 2 picks up 5 years later since the last bloody rampage at Camp Crystal Lake, aka Camp Blood. The film opens with the survivor of the first film getting slaughtered by Jason after witnessing the death of his mother. Now he wants revenge! (Now that’s a surprise, what sequel to a popular horror film doesn’t have the killer seeking revenge? Sorry I digress.)

In this installment, a group of counselors are returning to Camp Crystal Lake for a training seminar. Well, I suppose I should reveal that they aren’t exactly at the same camp as it has been closed; however the exteriors certainly look similar to those in the first film. Once again Jason returns to hack away at the individuals that have disturbed his residence.

Throughout the course of the film camp counselors are slaughtered yet Jason also gets his share of injuries as well. This subpar sequel is actually pretty good. It’s the first time that the audience gets to see Jason’s face. I enjoyed this film as a sequel and we know how well sequels usually fair against their original counterpart. This film was creepy in the fact that it takes place mostly outdoors and for a first time, younger viewers it could possibly scare you away from ever going to summer camp again. As a sequel, I can recommend this film to fans of the first film.

VideoParamount has started to get into the game with its DVD’s. The image transfer on this disc looks amazing. Once again, the studio has taken an old film and made it appear sparkling and clear. Although I noticed a few more speckles and marks than in the first film, it doesn’t necessarily detract from this film. The blacks and skin tones were crisp and clear as well. I think Paramount has done a fine job in taking their older catalog titles and making them appear new and fresh. If only they would improve on their extra features for catalog titles. (More on that later.)

AudioIdentical to the first film, Friday the 13th part 2 contains the original mono soundtrack. And just like my review of the first film, my opinion hasn’t changed. I would have loved to have heard a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix. The sound effects and dialogue were still clear, however, I believe the film would have had a stronger impact had there been the surround sound track.

ExtrasTis a shame, tis a shame! Once again we have a classic horror film released onto the DVD format with nothing on it in terms of extra features. I shouldn’t say nothing, after all, Paramount has blessed us with another theatrical trailer of the second entry into the Friday the 13th series. I know that extra footage for older films is sometimes hard to find, but isn’t there anything in the Paramount vaults about this successful horror franchise? Let's go Paramount, let's jump on the wagon together and get some great loaded DVD’s that allow us to visit film sets from nearly 20 years ago. There could be some great and interesting features for your older catalog titles that could certainly entice other customers who wouldn’t necessarily purchase or view this type of film.

OverallWell I think Paramount really knows what they are doing when it comes transfering older films onto the DVD format. The transfer looks great aside from some minor speckling and scratches. As I have previously mentioned, it doesn’t necessarily detract from the overall viewing experience of this picture. As a film, I thought for a sequel this one was pretty good. We knew who the killer was this time, yet we were able to question and wonder which character was next when the slaughtering begins. As a horror movie fan, this one will remain in my collection next to the first film in the series. Eventually I hope Paramount releases other chapters in this series. (Parts 3 and 4 are already out in Region 1.) Fans of the series should pick this one up if not for anything but the film itself.

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